The Patriots quarterback was asked this week what he envisions his role being when Tom Brady returns from his four-game Deflategate suspension.

“I’m going out there with the mindset, ‘I’m the starter,’ ” Garoppolo told WEEI on Tuesday. “It’s a great opportunity to get these first four games. We’ll see where it goes from there. You never know what’s going to happen. It’s a crazy league, and anything’s possible, really.”

Almost anything is possible. The Patriots keeping Brady on the bench after his suspension is up would require an otherworldly set of circumstances, like Garoppolo throwing for 35 touchdowns, including four Hail Marys, in a perfect 4-0 start. Even under those circumstances, the four-time Super Bowl champion would still be steaming if he had to ride the pine in his return to Foxborough.

The relationship between the longtime starter and the starter of the moment has been somewhat muddled. Brady has offered public support, but few know how much instruction is going on behind the scenes.

“There’s a little competitiveness in all of us, but at the end of the day, we’re a team and we’re all trying to hope for the best for each other,” Garoppolo said. “I think Tom is sincere about that. But we’ll find out.”

Find out when? Shouldn’t that question already be answered after months of OTAs, training camp and preseason, not to mention Garoppolo’s first two years in the league as Brady’s understudy?

“I don’t really think that’s their job, and I don’t think any player has enough time to do that, because they all have things that they need to do to prepare for the season,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said when asked about the dynamic between Brady and Garoppolo.

“But as far as being a good example and doing things right and all of that, we have a lot of guys that fall into that category, and that’s definitely a good thing. But that’s what they should be doing.”